Belated Amsterdam Tales, Days 1-3

I have been neglecting this blog, haven't I? I go away to Amsterdam and don't even feel the need to tell the world about it. Well I may be over a week late, but I'll try my best to provide a quick overview with pictures.
Friday 5th August: Picked up in Jackson's dad's taxi to be taken to the airport. Sounds simple until you realise this is a Friday afternoon and we are travelling clockwise on the M25 towards one of the busiest airports in the southeast of England; consequently we are crawling through traffic for about 90 minutes, me internally panicking that we'll miss our flight. This is all in vain when we arrive and learn our flight was 'overbooked', meaning we won't be flying at our intended time anyway. Cue my frustrated tears. After much waiting and some magic talk from Jackson (I still don't know his secret), we get booked onto the next flight at 3.55pm AND compensated £105 each for the inconvenience. We even got boarded first - after some delays due to the plane experiencing turbulence on the way in - because Jackson volunteered to have his bag put in hold luggage. Only when we were successfully seated and moving was I truly happy; it meant our holiday had begun. Due to delays, we didn't reach

Hotel Arena Reception

Amsterdam until around half 6pm, and even then we had to trek about 40 minutes across the city to the southeast to find our hotel. After a few wrong turns, we came across a bizarre wooden tunnel flanked by a wheelbarrow with some potted plants in it, and just beyond, the facade of a grand building. This was the Hotel Arena, undergoing renovation, and our new home for the next five days. Inside certainly lived up to my expectations, all wooden banistered staircases, curtains, and dim yet cosy lighting. The room was the polar opposite, though no less impressive: airy, white, and open, with a huge bed, swivel television, room service, and a black glass walled bathroom. We took advantage of room service that night, though I was made to regret the choice of a tuna burger which came with seaweed and wasabi....at least the chips made up for it.

Stoner Kitty

Next day, Saturday 6th, we were ready to explore the city once more. Gay Pride was going on that weekend so it was pretty busy. Met up with Anthony, one of Jackson's workmates, who happened to be staying in Amsterdam at the same time and we chatted in a coffeeshop (one of the many in Amsterdam - anyone familiar with the place will know what I mean) which had a resident cat. He was high as a kite! The four of us (including Ant's girlfriend, not the stoner cat) went to the Amsterdam Dungeons around half 4. It was significantly more interesting (and just the teeniest bit scarier) than the London Dungeons, partly because it was history I didn't know. We parted from them afterward with the intention of meeting up again but Jackson's phone died so we lost communication, got stuck in a huge crowd of Pride partygoers, and eventually left for Pasta Pasta, a unique little pasta shop in the centre of the city. We didn't get back to the hotel until about half 10 that night, but it allowed for some spectacular views of the Red Light District all lit up - the 'ladies of the night' in white lingerie, glowing under UV lighting - and the Walter Suskind Bridge with its lights on (which I mistook for the iconic Magere Brug.

Walter Suskind Bridge

Sunday 7th was a much more lazy day as we stayed in watching MTV and Comedy Central all morning and afternoon until around 3pm when we finally tore ourselves away from another episode of Catfish to get some Chinese food for dinner at Wagamama. Chicken katsu curry and gyoza were our choice, and then later we hunted down one of the many sweet treats shops selling heavily glazed waffles, donuts, crepes, macaroons and ice cream. I had a donut which was genuinely the best I'd ever had! As we hadn't made any other plans for the day, I suggested we wander down towards the southwest corner, but in doing so I managed to twist my ankle doing what I always do on holiday: not watching my step. Suffice to say, after a rest in the hopes that it isn't too bad - which it kind of was - we head back to the hotel for an early evening, taking advantage of room service again and ordering some chips to see us through.